


Life Without Torchwood

by mythicalheartbeat



Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, M/M, Some Fluff, Some Humor, Some angst, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-11 23:38:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11724960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicalheartbeat/pseuds/mythicalheartbeat
Summary: A strange box falls through the Rift. What the team doesn't know is that it'll put them in a place where Torchwood never existed. Will they be tempted by what they see and work for that life when they return? Or will they stay with Torchwood?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Something I've been working on for years, so I figured if I shared it, it'll give me motivation to finish. Hope you enjoy!

"Tosh, how close are we?" Jack asked, scanning the open field in front of him. To his left, Gwen was about 50 feet away and on his left was Owen at an equal distance.

"It's just a few more feet in front of you." Tosh's voice said, coming over the Com Units.

He nodded, even though there was no possibly way for her to see him. "Right." With that, he clicked his Com off and headed forward. It didn't take long until he caught sight of the small box laying in the weeds.

It could have easily been mistaken for just a regular old box, but upon closer inspection, he could see small, alien designs. They weren't any that he was familiar with.

"Gwen! Owen! I have it. Let's head back to the Hub." Jack called out, turning around and heading back to the SUV.

"It's about bloody time." Owen said. He was so glad to finally be heading back to the Hub. They've been out here for hours looking for this thing and it's been raining the whole time. He was certain that he was completely soaked through. He was definitely cold enough. He was more than eager to get back into a change of warm clothes and have a nice, hot cup of coffee.

Gwen rolled her eyes at Owen's complaining, even though she couldn't agree more. She hadn't dressed for spending a long time in the rain. She had been expecting it to be a quiet day. After all, Tosh's Rift Predictor said it should have been quiet for the rest of the week.

By the time they reached the SUV, she was shivering so hard that it was hard to stop her teeth from rattling. She smiled gratefully at Jack when he handed over his greatcoat and immediately slipped it on. Even though it was wet as well, it was still rather warm. At least, a lot more so than what she had on.

Jack didn't mind handing over his greatcoat to Gwen. After all, he honestly wasn't that cold and she looked like she was about to shiver herself to death. He slipped into the driver's seat and starting the SUV, turning the heater on high. Gwen got into the passenger seat while Owen got in the back. Both of them sighed in relieve at the hot air.

Jack drove quickly back to the HUB, thoughts of having a cup of Ianto's delicious coffee fueling him to go faster. His mouth already watered at the thought of the liquid gold. A grin formed on his face slowly as he turned the final corner before parking the SUV.

All three of them headed back into the HUB, Gwen being sure to hand Jack back his greatcoat. She knew Ianto didn't really like other people wearing it. She bit her lip to stop a smile from forming as she thought how cute Jack and Ianto acted towards each other without even realizing it.

Sure enough, once they were in the main part of the HUB, Ianto appeared with a tray of coffee. A small trace of a smile formed on his face when he looked at Jack. Jack returned the smile with one of his own mega-watt smiles before taking his coffee. Owen nearly pounced on the youngest member to get his cup while Gwen took hers with a small smile of thanks.

Ianto tucked the silver tray under his arm before taking Jack's greatcoat from him. He turned to hang the coat up so it could dry, a pleased look flashing across his face for a moment at the quiet groans from Gwen and Owen after they took a sip of the coffee.

"Alright! We're going to be having a team meeting in the boardroom in half an hour. That should give us enough time for a quick, hot shower and changing into dry clothes."

Everyone nodded and went off to their separate ways. Jack went up to his office so he could shower and change in his private quarters. Gwen and Owen went to the changing room so they could shower. Thankfully they had different rooms for men and women. Tosh, who didn't really react to them coming in, went back to her work. Ianto went up to the boardroom to get it cleaned for their meeting.

Exactly thirty minutes later, everyone was seated up in the boardroom, each with a fresh cup of coffee. The box that was recovered sat on the table and they were all looking at it curiously.

"So… What is it?" Gwen asked after about five minutes of silence. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail so the water that was still coming off of it wouldn't get her face wet. Sure, it was getting the back of her shirt wet, but that wasn't really bothering her much.

"To be honest… I'm not completely sure." Jack admitted, running a hand through his mostly dried hair. He hated not knowing that the device was. What if it was something dangerous? How was he supposed to protect his team? He looked over to Tosh, where she was scanning the box.

"From what the readout says, it appears to be some sort of alternate reality device." She said, tilting her head curiously as she glanced at the box again.

"So it puts people in an alternate reality?" Owen asked, leaning back in his seat. He took a drink of coffee as he watched Tosh. That didn't seem possible, but who knew. What with what they see every day, this could very well be the real thing.

Tosh shook her head. "No. I think it's just supposed to project you into an alternate reality, but your body wouldn't really move. I think it would show us how we would be if something in our lives were different."

Everyone turned their attention to Jack to see if he agreed. Jack thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah. I think I heard of things like this back when I was traveling with the Doctor. It's supposed to be completely harmless."

"Alright then. Let's say we test it out." Owen said, reaching forward. Before anyone could stop him, he hit a button on the side. A bright light flashed and filled the whole room. One by one, each person collapsed on the table, completely unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First up: Gwen

Sunlight filtered inside the room, peeking through the blinds right into Gwen's eyes. She groaned, rolling over and covering her face with her pillow. It was way too early to be getting up. She reached out across the bed, searching blindly for the warm form on her husband. Maybe she could talk him into a morning shag before she headed off to work.

Work… Wait a minute. She couldn't remember coming home last night, no matter how hard she tried. The last thing she was able to recall was finding that weird box then a flash of bright light… Did it send her through time to the morning? Or quite possibly was it just a different day? It seemed to be the only logical solution.

She groaned again, forcing herself to sit up. If this really was the morning of that day, then they would have to find that box again. Thankfully they will be able to find it a lot faster this time since she knew where it will be.

Something felt wrong though as she put her feet on the ground. She couldn't quite place what it was though and she looked around the room carefully to try to figure out what it was. Everything looked the same, yet there was just something… different about this place. What could it possibly be?

While she was trying to figure out what it was, Gwen felt a sharp pain in her stomach and her hands flew to the affected area quickly… Only for her to freeze a few moments later. She slowly dropped her gaze to her stomach and her eyes widened in shock.

How did this happen? How in the world did she end up being pregnant like this? She wasn't just pregnant, but heavily so. Based on the size of her stomach, she could blow any day now. She shook her head slowly, trying to wrap her head around this. The last time she woke up this pregnant was with the Nostrovite and she really didn't want to relive that experience again.

Wait! That's it! That box must have done this to her! But what about Rhys? Did he know about this? If he didn't, he was going to be in for a big shock. Oh god… How was she going to tell him what happened? He already hates Torchwood and everything it puts their relationship through. She didn't think he'd want to go through another alien-induced pregnancy.

Gwen pushed the hair out of her face before rising up on shaking legs. It was best just to get this over with quickly and hope that he doesn't react badly. She honestly felt sick to her stomach, but she knew that was more likely because of her nerves than any type of morning sickness that this pregnancy would provide.

She put a hand on her stomach and headed out of the room, going slowly to try to calm the twisting in her stomach. God… He was going to be so angry at her… Well, at least at Jack. But she was sure that she'd be able to keep Rhys calm enough to not attack her boss.

The smell of fresh fruit and frying eggs lured her into the kitchen where she paused in the doorway to watch Rhys cook. She really didn't want to tell him the bad news. But there really was no getting around this. As soon as he turned around, he was going to see her and know. So she took a steadying breath and braced herself for his outrage. She took a cautious step towards him, but paused.

Wouldn't it be better to just let him see her instead of her telling him? That would save any awkward conversations and she was certain that he'd immediately make the conclusion that this was Torchwood's fault. He was a smart man after all. She just hoped he wasn't going to be too angry with her because of this. It wasn't even her fault!

When Rhys turned around, she braced herself for his reaction. But surprise flitted through her when he smiled at the sight of her. He took the few steps to stand in front of her and kissed her gently, one hand going to caress her rounded stomach. What was happening here? He knew about the pregnancy and wasn't upset about it?

Maybe she was wrong about the going back in time thing. Perhaps she went forward instead to a time when she was actually pregnant? Based on what's happened so far, that seemed like the most logical solution. She needed to find Jack and figure out how to get back to her own time so that she would at least be mentally prepared to have a child and not have it just be pushed onto her like it was.

She put a smile on her face before going to take a seat at their island as Rhys put a plate of food in front of her. She thanked him and started to eat quietly as he sat down next to her. They sat in comfortable silence as they ate; the only noise was the sound of forks on their plates.

When she was done eating, Gwen put her dishes in the sink before pressing a kiss to her husband's head. He smiled at her, which she returned, before she headed back to their bedroom. She dug out her phone from the bedside table drawer and dialed Jack's number to make sure he was at the HUB before she came in.

"Harkness."

"Jack. I have a little problem. Are you at the HUB?"

There was silence on the other line for a moment and she wondered if he had heard her.

"Who is this?"

Gwen frowned. How could Jack not recognize her voice? He talked to her every day. Plus the last time she checked, his phone did have caller ID. Unless he was just joking with her… If he was, this wasn't funny. "It's Gwen. I have a problem and I really need to see you right now. Are you at the HUB?"

"Okay… Gwen? First off, I don't know what this 'HUB' is and secondly, I have no idea who you are. Tell me how you go this number. It's restricted access only."

She sat down on the bed, confusion going through her. What was Jack talking about? She was almost completely certain that the Captain wasn't playing a joke on her. But what could have made him forget about her? Wait… He also didn't know what the HUB was. That didn't sound good. Did that box mess with his memory?

"How I got your number isn't important. I just really need your help with something."

"Is this something going to result in the end-of-the-world?"

"No… I don't think so. I'm pretty sure it won't. But you have to help me! I think some alien technology really messed with my life. I need help getting things back to the way they were before."

There was a long silence before Gwen heard Jack sighed. "Alright… I guess I could help you out since alien technology is involved. Where would you like to meet me?"

"The café near the Millennium Center would be fine."

"Alright. I can meet you there in half an hour."

Gwen didn't get the chance to respond before she heard the distinctive sound of someone hanging up. She frowned at the phone for a moment, confused by Jack's behavior, but pushed it to the back of her mind to worry about later. She sat there for a few moments longer before she forced herself up.

She wasn't sure when the last time she had showered, especially in this time, but she wasn't exactly comfortable with the thought of trying to while she was like this. It was hard for her to wrap her head around the idea that she was actually pregnant. She didn't even like the thought of seeing herself naked, so she went over to her dresser to get dressed for the day.

She stared blankly at all the maternity clothes. She couldn't believe this. She really wished that she could wear her regular jeans and her leather jacket. But that didn't look like it was going to be possibly until this baby was out. For now, she was stuck with sweatpants and overly-large shirts.

She grabbed the first thing she saw, which were just a light gray shirt and some black sweats. She knew people were going to look at her weird and judge her based on her outfit, but she was probably just being ridiculous. There weren't that many petty people who would judge a pregnant woman like that. But that's how people always seem to be towards her, so that is the exact reason why she always tries her best to look good.

Once dressed, Gwen slipped past Rhys and out of the flat, sighing in relief when he didn't say anything to her. She was glad for that. Her mind was so frazzled right now; she didn't think she'd be able to think of an excuse. She probably could have told him the truth, but she didn't want to risk him not believing her or acting like he did and start treating her like she had a mental problem. It was better that he didn't know.

She arrived at the café about 10 minutes before Jack said he would. She gazed longingly at the coffee machine, knowing they wouldn't serve her any since she was pregnant. Of course, she could always order decafe, but that was not an option she really wanted to take. So she ordered herself a hot chocolate instead, needing something warm to drink to help calm her nerves.

She found an open seat by the window and she gladly sat down. Even though she hasn't been standing long, her feet were already starting to hurt. Her attention drifted out the window where she had a good view of the bay. Was the HUB even there or was it gone, just like Jack's ability to not know who she was? She hoped so, but she couldn't be too sure. The Tourist Office should still be there regardless. They did have quite a few people stop by daily. She made a mental note to go check it out after she was done here.

She took a small sip of the chocolaty drink, immediately spotting Jack as he came striding up to the café. He still had on that greatcoat, but there seemed to be something different about him. He seemed tense, like he thought someone was about to attack him. She couldn't blame him if he did. Especially since he received a phone call from someone he apparently didn't know, telling him to meet her somewhere. She knew that if she was in his shoes, she'd be suspicious as well.

She watched him for a few more seconds as he looked around the café, looking for her even though he couldn't possibly know what she looked like. That thought saddened her, but she pushed it to the back of the mind. There was no point in worrying about it now. She needed to stay focused.

She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly to help calm her sudden nerves. She hoped that conversation was going to end up being awkward or tense. She didn't think she'd be able to handle it. Her nerves were already on end because of this pregnancy and she didn't think she could handle any negative emotions.

"Jack! Over here!" she called once she was sure that she had everything under control. She watched as he started towards her.

"Gwen?" Jack asked, coming to a stop by the table. Gwen couldn't stop herself from shifting slightly under his probing gaze, probably deciding whether or not she was a threat.

She nodded, brushing a few strands of hair out of her eyes. She scanned him quickly, easily seeing how different he was from the last time she saw him. Sure, he was wearing the same clothes. He even had on that greatcoat of his. But it was easy to tell that he was tense. His eyes were cold, a lot more than she's ever seen them, and he had an air of seriousness and no-nonsense about him that he just didn't seem to have before.

He took the seat in front of her and sat completely straight. She watched as his gaze jumped around the room once more before settling back on her. Even though she would forever deny this, it saddened her to see him like this. She actually missed his carefree, relaxed attitude. She missed his laugh and that sparkle in his eye he got whenever he made a joke. It made a longing grow in her stomach and she desperately wanted to go back to how things were before they found that stupid box.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?"

The sound of his voice broke Gwen out of her thoughts and it took her a moment for her to actually remember what they were here for. She shifted in her seat slightly, looking for a more comfortable position as she rested a hand on her overly-large stomach. She wished she could just make it disappear. She wasn't ready to be a mother! She was still so young, for crying out loud! Hopefully Jack would be able to fix this quickly.

"Alright… I'm not sure how to say this, but I think an alien artifact put me sometime in the future or into some weird alternate plane from what I'm used to and I need your help to figure out how to get me back home."

Jack was quiet for a long moment, a thoughtful look crossing his face. Gwen watched his face carefully as she took a sip of her drink. He really hoped he would believe her and would know how to fix this. She didn't know what she would do if he didn't.

"That seems plausible… But how would you have come across something like that? Those types of artifacts are rare and were only invented in the early 42nd century."

Gwen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She watched him for a second more before she started talking about where she was from. She started with her first day of Torchwood and went all the way to when she woke up in bed this morning. Jack's face remained blank the entire two hours that she was talking. She couldn't quite tell if he believed anything she was saying, but she just had to hold out hope for the best outcome.

He was silent for about five minutes after she stopped talking, his face staying in that same blank look as he processed what she had told him. Finally he nodded before leaning forward in his seat. "Alright… Based on what you told me and since I'm pretty sure that you're not lying, I'll say I have no other choice than to believe you. But I'm sorry to inform you that there really is nothing I can do to help. You'll just have to wait until the effects wear off."

Gwen frowned; disappoint slamming through her as she nodded. She had been hoping Jack would think of anything to help her get home, but that didn't seem to be the case. No matter how badly she wanted to go home, that didn't appear to be the case. Hopefully she will be able to get back before going into labor. She didn't think she was prepared to give birth to a child… At least, she's not ready yet anyway. Maybe one day when she actually had the nine months to get used to the idea.

"Alright… I understand." She said slowly. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes as she smiled lightly at the Captain. "I appreciate you coming to talk to me."

Jack nodded before standing. He shot one last quick glance around the thinning crowd before heading out, pulling his jacket close to him to keep out the chill of the Cardiff air.

Gwen sighed, leaning back in her seat. It looked like she had a long wait ahead of her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next: Ianto

Sunlight slowly started to trickle in through the blinds, shining in the eyes of the sleeping Welshman on the bed. Ianto groaned, rolling over to escape the light. There was a pounding in his head that the light was only making worse. He reached blindly across the bed, searching for the warmth of Jack's body. He frowned when all he came in contact with was cold sheets. He sighed and curled up in the blanket, figuring the Captain was already gone for the day.

It took about thirty seconds though before the sounds of something clanking in the kitchen reached Ianto's ears. He sat up slowly, wondering what in the world his lover could possibly be doing when the sweet smell of pancakes reached him, resulting in him leaping out of the bed and charging from the room towards the kitchen. The last time Jack had tried to make breakfast, he just about ended up burning the apartment down. This resulted in the immortal being banished from the room during mealtimes…. And most other times. Basically, he had to stay out of the kitchen in general.

If Ianto had actually been paying attention to something other than the thought of Jack ruining his kitchen, he might have noticed that there was nothing in the hall he would have recognized. Not the color or the pictures hanging along one side. His flat was kind of an off-white color; mostly because he's not home enough to really care about it. These walls though were a rich brown, accented with white picture frames of happy people, placed in a seemingly random order. The television was on and playing faintly in the background, but was too quiet for him to make out, if he actually tried to listen.

He slid around the corner, opening his mouth to tell Jack off, but the words died in his throat at the sight before him. Of all the things he expected to see (i.e. a flour covered Jack or something on fire…), this was definitely nowhere close to being on his mind.

"…Lisa?" He barely managed to choke the words out past his dry throat. What was she doing here? This had to be some sort of hallucination or dream of some sort. There was no other way to explain it.

Even though her back was to him, there was no way he would have mistaken her for someone else. She turned and the sound of his voice and a warm, soft smile crossed her face. "Morning sweetheart."

Ianto felt his heart stutter in his chest as he took in the sight of her. She was wearing a dark blue night gown that stopped just above her knees. It wasn't really anything spectacular, but he didn't think she has ever looked so beautiful. He took a half-step forward, not completely sure if she was there or not. He collapsed into a nearby chair, almost certain now that he was dreaming.

"Ianto? Sweetheart? What's wrong?" Lisa asked, coming to stand in front of him. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

He wasn't aware that his body was trembling until he felt Lisa's slim arms slip around him and one of her small hands gently rubbed his back. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, holding her tightly. He inhaled deeply, taking in her scent and relishing the feel of her in his arms again. If this was a dream, it seemed to be a good one so far.

He moved back some so that he could get a good look at her face. She was exactly as he remembered her. Her brown eyes were warm and showing concern as she looked at him, all the while continuing to stroke his back. He could see the unspoken question in her eyes and he sighed.

"It's nothing… I just had a bad dream." He said, smiling lightly to reassure her. She visibly relaxed and he pulled her back into a hug. He set a hand on the back of her neck gently before moving so that he could kiss her softly. His other hand rested on the small of her back and their kiss slowly grew in passion. His hand started slowly sliding lower, massaging gently as he went. Since this was a dream, a rather odd one so far (not that he was complaining), he was going to enjoy it as much as he can.

"Mommy? Is bweakfast weady yet?"

Ianto jerked back at the sound of a little girl's voice. He turned to look at the doorway where a girl of about four or five was standing. He couldn't quite tell her exact age. She had dark brown hair like Lisa's, but bright blue eyes that looked suspiciously like his. Her skin was slightly tanned, probably from being outside in the sun. Her sleeping gown was a dark purple and she was clutching a white stuffed bunny.

He turned to look back at Lisa, a confused look crossing his face when he saw her smile. Since when did she have a daughter? Why wasn't he ever told about this? Wait… This was a dream. Of course! That made a lot more sense. But why would he be dreaming of this. Sure, he used to dream of starting a family with Lisa… But that dream died when Canary Wharf fell. The more that he thought of it though, the little girl did look a lot like how he imagined their daughter would have looked like if they ever had one.

"I was just about to get you sweetie." Lisa said, moving away from Ianto and over to the stove. "Take a seat by your tad."

Tad? Who?... That question was answered when the little girl took a seat next to him. She smiled at him, revealing a missing front tooth, before turning her attention back to the table where there was a plate of pancakes set in front of her.

He stared blankly at the little girl for a few seconds, stunned. She was his? Since when? The only explanation that he could think of was that he somehow entered an alternate reality. There was no way this was a dream. It was then that he remembered the box. That had to be it. It would actually explain a lot of what was going on here. Since he was stuck in this place for who knew how long, Ianto knew he would just have to be patient until Jack figured it out and got him back. At least, he hoped he was going to get him back. Until then, it was best not to worry and to just go along with what was happening here.

He blinked and turned his attention to Lisa when she set a plate of pancakes in front of him. He smiled slightly in thanks before turning his attention to his food. He took a bite and almost groaned in appreciation. He had forgotten how good Lisa was at cooking and he was determined not to forget again.

He listened to the two girls talk while they all ate. A small smile formed on his face, a sense of contentment filling him. This was how it was supposed to have gone if Canary Wharf never happened. That thought caused guilt to flash through him though and he tried hard not to frown. Despite the fact of wanting this life for so long, he wanted to go back to Jack. He loved Lisa, still does in fact, but he loves Jack more.

-TW - TW-

Ianto headed back to his… and Lisa's… bedroom, planning on getting ready for the day. Since he's already decided this world wasn't real, he wasn't going to waste his time trying figure it out by, say, going to the HUB or trying to hunt down Jack. No. He was going to spend this time to enjoy however long it is that he has with Lisa and their little girl… Whose name he still doesn't know. It wasn't as if he could ask. How awkward would that be if he showed that he couldn't remember his daughter's own name. He was sure he'd figure it out eventually, so he wasn't going to worry about it.

He opened his closet and froze, staring blankly at the clothes in it. This wasn't right… What kind of world was this that he only seemed to own one suit. It was one that he didn't even appear to wear often. What was up with that? All the clothes that appeared to be his were all casual shirts and jeans. The type of clothes he used to wear on his days off. They were not clothes he would have been comfortable wearing every day.

But since he was in this world, he was going to have to push down the urge to go out and get a nice, new custom tailored suit. He'd have to get by without wearing one until he got back to his own world. He could do that, no problem. He reached in the closet, pulling out the first articles of clothing his fingers touched, which were a pair of dark blue jeans and a deep red shirt. He shrugged lightly to himself before pulling the clothes on. They seemed comfortable enough. That was good. He was confident that he was going to be able to get through the day without any real problems.

-TW - TW-

It was a short time later that Ianto found himself in the car, Lisa beside him in the passenger seat. She was wearing a beautiful, light pink summer dress. Their daughter was in the back wearing something similar. They were going to Bute Park to celebrate the rare warm weather of Wales.

He smiled lightly as he pulled into a parking spot. Being here brought back memories of when he first met Jack. That was a night to remember. One does not forget the first meeting with the unforgettable Captain. But he had to push the thoughts aside so he could focus on the here and now. Lisa was what was important. Their daughter was too. He had to stay focused or he was going to end up making himself homesick.

"Tali. Don't go too far, all right?" Lisa asked, crouching down to look their daughter in the eye. Huh. So her name was Tali? It was probably short for something, but he wasn't sure what. It probably didn't matter anyway, so he wasn't going to worry too much about it.

Tali nodded before running off so she could play on the playground. They watched her go before they took a seat on a nearby bench that was close enough so they could watch her, but far enough away that they could have a little bit of privacy.

They chatted idly about a few things and Ianto was surprised with how easy it was to carry on a conversation still with her despite not really knowing much about these last few years. A plus side was that he was able to learn more about their daughter without ever really asking any questions. The things he learned thrilled him.

Apparently Tali was already in school and was already smarter than everyone else in her class. Her teacher had been hinting at maybe pushing her up a grade. She is learning to play the piano, which Ianto was teaching her. That surprised him. He hadn't really played since he was 16, but he liked the thought of teaching her to play the beautiful instrument. There were also a bunch of small things like how her favorite color was purple and she hated vegetables (just like her tad). Those little tidbits of information were the kinds of things that he liked knowing. It would definitely help him during the rest of his time here in this world.

It was about half an hour later when Lisa jumped up to go over to Tali. Ianto turned to look and frowned. Two older boys, probably about eight-ish, looked like they were picking on her. He stood up to go help, but movement in from the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Gwen was strolling down one of the walkways, an ice cream cone in hand. It took a few seconds for him to process what he was seeing before he was heading over to her. He wasn't quite sure, but he just had to check to see if she was stuck in this world also, or if this Gwen was already here.

As he got closer, it became more evident that Gwen was pregnant. If that thought wasn't shocking enough, she had to be at least 7-8 months along. He pushed the thought off that aside for now, deciding it wasn't something he had to worry about right now. He just wanted to ask her a few questions before he went back over to Lisa and Tali.

"Gwen!" he called, glad she slowed down as he came to a stop next to her. He took a moment to take in here appearance, glad to see she looked healthy. In fact, she seemed to be glowing, but that was probably more because of the whole pregnancy thing than anything alien.

She smiled when she saw him, lowering the cone from where she was about to take a bite. "Ianto. It's so good to see you." She greeted. She actually seemed genuinely pleased to see him, which, of course, she had no reason not to be. But he was glad to see she at least knew who he was. "It's been such a long time since the last time we met up. How's Lisa and little Tali?" Her voice showed she was actually curious and not just asking to be polite.

A small smile formed on Ianto's face involuntarily when he thought about Lisa. Even though this Gwen didn't seem to be the one he remembered, he could live with that. "They're doing great. Tali's having a good time at the park." He said, pointing over his shoulder.

He turned to look, glad to see those two bullies were leaving his little girl alone. Now she was on the swing, Lisa behind her, giving her a little push. They were both laughing, having a great time. He had the strong urge to go over to them, wanting to have a good time with them as well. But he knew it would be rude to just walk away from Gwen in the middle of the conversation.

So he turned to look at the Welshwoman, seeing her looking to where he had been pointing. There was a smile on her face and she seemed to be happy. She reached forward to pat him on the cheek, taking a small bite of her strawberry / mint blend ice cream. "That's great sweetheart. As much as I would love to stay and chat with you, I really should get going. Rhys is expecting me home any minute now and I really shouldn't be late."

He nodded, taking a step back. "All right. Be safe." She smiled once more before turning away from him and continuing on her way. He watched her go for a few moments before turning as well, heading back to Lisa and their little girl.

The rest of their day was spent at the park, all three of them having a pretty good time. He and Lisa took turns pushing little Tali on the swings and they played whatever game her young mind thought of, no matter how ridiculous it seemed.

Afterward, they went out for a dinner at the Fish-n-Chips shop on the opposite side of the park. It might seem silly, but the food was delicious. Tali was starting to fall asleep halfway through the meal, so Lisa cleaned her up in the bathroom while Ianto packed up their leftovers. When they came out of the bathroom, he took their daughter, holding her close and carrying her to their car. He settled her in, a small smile on his face the whole time.

Since he was going to be stuck here for an unknown amount of time, Ianto was going to enjoy it while he can. He was going to spend as much time with Lisa and their daughter as he possibly could. And, when the time came, he was going to go back happily to his world with those memories.


End file.
